Craig Bates: Splunk + Cisco, AI, and the Future of Observability
▼ Summary
– Craig Bates recognized Splunk’s mission-critical role for APJ enterprises after joining, driving customer success as a core focus.
– Bates emphasizes that data visibility and a machine data platform are fundamental for modern security and observability strategies.
– The Cisco-Splunk integration has already produced tangible benefits, including Talos threat intelligence integration and native technical add-ons.
– Splunk has evolved from a log aggregation tool to a strategic AI platform for security, compliance, and predictive analytics.
– Bates advocates for workplace inclusion and neurodiversity, believing diverse teams are key to delivering innovative customer solutions.
Upon joining Splunk in 2023, Craig Bates recognized the company’s vital role in digital infrastructure, but his perspective deepened significantly after becoming part of the team. As Senior Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China, Bates observed firsthand how organizations depend on Splunk as a mission-critical component of their operational framework. This realization fuels his commitment to ensuring customer success across the diverse regions he oversees, including ANZ, ASEAN, India, and Japan.
Bates brings extensive enterprise experience from leadership positions at Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Beyond his commercial responsibilities, he actively champions workplace inclusion, notably leading Splunk’s Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group. He sees Splunk positioned at the heart of a technology shift where machine data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity intersect to redefine enterprise operations.
The cornerstone of modern security and observability, according to Bates, lies in data, and more specifically, in visibility. When asked to identify the most critical factor driving enterprise transformation, he humorously admitted to selecting two. “First, the data platform and the necessity of having data, particularly machine data,” he explained. “How much visibility do I possess across my environment? How clearly can I interpret ongoing activities? That data strategy component is critically important, you simply cannot protect what remains invisible.”
Splunk’s established expertise in machine data analytics has grown increasingly essential as businesses navigate complex multi-cloud, hybrid, and edge setups. The platform consolidates logs, events, telemetry, and threat indicators, establishing a unified source of truth for operations, security, and compliance needs.
Since Cisco Systems acquired Splunk earlier this year, attention has focused on how these two technology leaders would merge their strengths. Bates reports that initial integration efforts have already produced concrete outcomes. “We’ve accomplished numerous valuable initiatives on the product side,” he noted. “Displaying everything on screen would reveal hundreds of integrations. Consider Talos threat intelligence now embedded within our security solutions. We’ve developed technical add-ons that integrate natively across Cisco products, enabling direct connectivity.”
The combination of Cisco’s extensive network of connected devices with Splunk’s observability and security capabilities creates a uniquely powerful proposition. Bates emphasizes that “Splunk and Cisco together will set the pace” through their collective machine data resources and AI development capabilities for operational, security, and observability applications. Organizations lacking this integrated approach will struggle to maintain competitive velocity.
Splunk’s journey has evolved dramatically from its origins as a log aggregation tool favored by system administrators to becoming a strategic platform supporting entire enterprise architectures. Where the focus was once centralized data collection, the platform now enables AI-driven security, compliance automation, and predictive analytics. With Cisco’s support, this transformation has gained both scale and urgency.
Beyond technological integration, Bates maintains strong focus on the human element. His dedication to neurodiversity initiatives reflects his conviction that high-performing teams thrive on inclusion and cognitive diversity. “I’m passionate about empowering teams to deliver transformative customer success,” he stated, “which involves embracing diverse thinking and talent. This approach fundamentally contributes to creating innovative customer solutions.”
For enterprises throughout the APJC region, the Splunk-Cisco partnership heralds a new chapter in operational visibility and speed. The combined entity aims to convert machine data into actionable intelligence while implementing AI at scale, shifting from optional enhancement to competitive imperative. Bates concludes that “the ability to build AI on top of a rich, real-time data foundation will characterize the next generation of successful organizations.” As integration progresses, his message remains unambiguous: organize your data infrastructure effectively or risk falling behind.
(Source: ITWire Australia)
